Category: Porsche

Porsche is thankfully one of those car companies that still lets you customize your ride beyond what one normally finds in the dealer brochure…provided you come with the checkbook handy. For years, Porsche has offered a “paint to sample” option for buyers who are perhaps a bit bored with the colors in the back of the dealer brochure. This has led to a multitude of interesting liveries over the years, including the second to last 928GTS produced, in a questionable shade of Pearlglanz Metallic over purple interior trimmings. Thankfully, some of these special combinations are less offensive than others. Such is the case with this 2012 Porsche 911 Turbo painted in Gulf Blue with a subtle Espresso Brown leather interior.

There are times when I forget that part of the success of the 911 comes not only through it’s excellent performance but also because it has almost always provided that performance with a high level of refinement. It is a hallmark of the marque itself, as evidenced by its forays into halo-car territory with the 959, Carrera GT, and the new 918 Spyder. None of these were stripped-out racers like the F40. This digression was sparked by the car we see here, an otherwise standard 911SC that happens to be in a stunning shade that showcases the refined nature of the 911. There are 911s that are brash, like yesterday’s 930 Slantnose, and then there are 911s that appear almost serene in comparison. Of course, the performance is still there, but it’s packaged entirely differently. Here we have a (possibly) Rosewood Metallic 1982 Porsche 911SC, located in Nashville, with 65,325 miles on it. It is, in a word, beautiful.

The poster car: we all had them on our wall when growing up. Rarely subtle, these were cars that stunned you visually and were almost always very fast. At least, that was my wall. The most common poster in the ’80s was probably the Countach, which still today looks insane. The Countach, however, was insane. Porsche’s road-going version of Countach excessiveness was the 930 Slantnose, but because it was based off of the very streetable 911 it lacked much of the insanity of the Countach. The appearance of the 930 itself was hardly subtle and in the guise of the Slantnose all hints of subtlety went out the window. Unsurprisingly, given the iconic nature of the 911’s front end, not everyone is a fan of the Slantnose, but their rarity makes them quite highly prized by collectors. The example here is a Guards Red 1989 Porsche 930 Slantnose Coupe, located in California, with Tan interior and only 28,115 miles.

For some times, I had grandiose plans for a derelict 924S that my father had. Source a 931 bell housing, mate it up to a spare Audi 4.2 V8 I had, slap on a Carrera GT body kit, strip it out and stiffen it up and Viola! Instant track weapon on a budget. I had planned it out pretty well, but the timing just never came together quite right, so eventually it went by the wayside. I’ve since seen a few tribute Carrera GTs pop up and even a GTR over in Europe, and every time it makes me think “what if…”; today is no exception. As I came upon this posting, a sly smile crept across my face and thought about it all over again. Today’s example doesn’t follow the plan I had though; it takes an early European-spec 924 2.0 and swaps on the super-wide GTR panels with some crazy Compomotive wheels:

The 1990s was considered a watershed moment for Porsche, for many reasons. True, the company was battling for solvency in an ever demanding marketplace, but some of the most interesting and most sought after models emerged from this decade. The 964 Turbo 3.6, 928GTS and 968 Clubsport are all examples of vehicles that represented the ultimate expression of their breed. True, there would be one more air-cooled 911 Turbo after the 3.6, but this would be the last non all-wheel drive Turbo outside of the limited production GT2 we would see, except for those out of specialist tuning houses.

In addition to the colorful model lineup, the variety of hues themselves that was available was impressive. I’ve never seen a 944S2 in Rubstone Red, but I’ve got to say, it certainly catches your eye. It probably is a bit polarizing for what is normally seen as a more masculine sports car, but in some odd way, it works for me. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Finding value in the 911 range is always a difficult proposition. Finding a value that also brings with it excellent performance can be darn near impossible. As with most things in life, there is always an exception. The 996TT has been that exception for a while now and even as values for an air-cooled 911 continue to rise, these little loved water-cooled models pretty much stay the same. With more than 400 hp on tap these are very fast cars that will deliver you to your destination with a dose of style and also ferocity and while the all-wheel drive setup provides security against the 911’s tail-wagging nature these cars are still capable of biting back against inattentive drivers. There really are few performance options for the cost of a 996TT on the market these days. The example here is a Black 2001 Porsche 911 Turbo, located in Massachusetts, with 55,908 miles on it.

I really enjoy seeing some of the closer, detail, shots of the 930. The car is instantly recognizable as a 911 and the details then provide us those subtle clues that hint at this being something more than a standard 911. The wider rear arches stretching over the rear wheels. Those distinctive lines of the spoiler that guide air into the intercooler and help differentiate this from the basic whale tail. Just the general slightly muscled and aggressive overall look, which lets everyone know that this is a car that requires respect from its driver but that it also remains a usable and streetable machine. The car we have here is a one-owner Guards Red 1987 Porsche 911 Turbo, located in Miami, with only 34,000 miles on it. The seller does not appear to possess much background or documentation of the car’s history, but from what we can see the care the car has received was considerable.

The fall from grace of the 996 has resulted in some stunning deals on pretty incredible cars. They’re not without their problems; the 996 isn’t the most attractive Porsche produced and there are known engine issues to combat. But if you’re looking for an inexpensive track weapon with and impressive amount of speed, it’s pretty hard to best the 996 package. While you can get a very nice example of a GT3 – Porsche’s then pinnacle of dual-purpose street and track package – for around $50,000 and drive it to the track, if you’re willing to spend just a bit more you can look at leaping into another level of performance with the “Cup” car. Stripped down and stiffened up, these factory racers are simply stunning with their speed and were cutting edge less than a decade ago, yet today you can find an excellent example like this 2005 model for less than $80,000 – only a third of what a new one would cost you.

After failing to meet reserve last time it was auctioned in August, you have another opportunity to turn the boost up to “11” on this 1986 911 Turbo DP935. The modifications and look can be a bit polarizing but this one has been updated nicely and it’s too garish in the realm of heavily modified 1980s cars. Last time there were two bids that hit $95,000 – this time, the seller opened the bidding at $95,000 with the reserve still on. I don’t expect it to sell at this amount this time around either – these DP cars take a special kind of buyer and some of the updates have unfortunately taken away some of the originality. What would you pay for this turbocharged wonder?

The below post originally appeared on our site August 19, 2014:

In 1984, when the 911 Carrera debuted, you might forgive the layman for not realizing a new model had come. By all appearance, it didn’t seem like anything had changed, though a careful observer would note the now integrated fog lights. A very careful observer might also notice that the rear decklid was adorned with a Carrera badge. Porsche had resurrected the Carrera name for this new model, a change that has continued through today as every subsequent naturally-aspirated 911 has worn that same badge. The most significant change to the car also lay under that badge: the new higher compression 3.2 liter flat-six that brought with it both increased performance and also increased economy. The 911 Carrera would be the last of the classic 911 design and as such has been a favorite of many Porsche enthusiasts. They aren’t typically the great value that they once were and excellent examples tend to be snapped up quickly, both points serving as testimony to how enjoyable these great 911s remain even today. The car featured here is a 1984 Grand Prix White Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet, located in Santa Barbara, with just 40,979 miles on it.

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